E507 – Haney Cheema & Bill Alston, Empowering Hard Tech Energy Solutions
“It’s tough to compete with a multibillion dollar company. But we think we found our little piece of the pie and I’m really excited about it.”
What if your legacy in oil and gas wasn’t something to pivot away from, but a platform for innovation? That’s the approach ASCENT Consulting is taking. In this episode, Tyler sits down with CEO Bill Allston and Director of Projects Haney Cheema to explore how a 70-person Calgary firm is helping hard tech startups get from lab bench to field deployment. Rather than investing or owning IP, ASCENT acts as a neutral guide—helping startups derisk, validate, and scale their innovations with credible engineering expertise and industry relationships. From aligning with field operators and navigating regulatory hurdles, to building trust with manufacturers willing to prototype at scale, ASCENT plays the role of integrator in an increasingly complex energy ecosystem. Haney shares how their team is embedded in incubators, talking to VCs, and mapping out where innovation meets real-world constraints. By stitching together the people, processes, and perspectives, we will power the next phase of Alberta’s energy evolution.